benefit But this is peculiar to the Christian Religion that it admits none such but whoever doth become a Member professing it must fall under an Obligation to perform the Duties it requires And by this we may perceive what further Progress our Christian Unity must make for we must be United in the Consent Profession and Practice of all those things which according to our several stations in that Society the Laws of Christianity do require from us Now these may have relation either to particular Christians or to them as embodied in particular Societies or to them considered under the Notion of Subjects and Governours Or laftly to the Duty and Behaviour of Governours towards each other IX Every particular Christian is bound to the Sincere and constant Profession and Exercise of all those Christian Duties which the Gospel requires of every one in their single Capacities as Humility Sobriety Temperance Patience and the like And their Concurrence in and due Observance of these things is not only very profitable and Comfortable to Themselves but very Honourable to their Society But above all we are Commanded to Put on Charity Col. 3. 14. and that not only for this Reason that it Virtually conteins and in its own Nature directs and provokes to the Practice of all other Christian Duties on which Account the Apostle in the following words stiles it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but also because our Saviour himself hath made it the Character and Badge of his Followers For saith he John 13. 35. By this shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have Love one to another X. But here it is to be Considered that these Vertues of particular Christians have been and may be so fairly Copied out and handsomely Exercised by Heathens and Unbelievers that to outward Appearance the one cannot be distinguished from the other And though the Vertues of Christians are really distinguishable from the like in Heathens from their Principles and Ends yet these Principles and Ends are things in themselves not seen And therefore that those Vertues may appear to proceed from such Christian Principles and Ends they must be practised in Conjunction with such other Duties as do apparently Testifie what Principles we own And that Charity it self may be a Mark of Christs Disciples it must carry them on to those Exercises which he hath Commanded his Worshippers to joyn in Now this cannot be done only by separate well living but by joyning in that Worship and Christian Communion which the Laws of Christ and the Nature of that Church or Society he hath Instituted doth Require And in these we do most clearly own and profess our selves Christians and visibly unite in the Body And from hence it will follow that all Christians under the penalty of excluding themselves from this Body are bound to joyn in all the publick Offices of the Church and to bear their part in all Acts and Duties of Christian Communion and therefore Attendance to Ordinances is not only the benefit but the necessary duty of every Christian And as Members of the Society they must do their parts joyning in the publick Prayers Praises Thanksgivings Confessions and the like And especially ought to be careful to be duely partakers of the Lords Supper as being that Act whereby of all others we are most strongly firmly and closely anited both to â—hrist our Head and to each other Hence it is by way of Eminence sometimes called The Communion And hence it is That amongst the primitive Christians though a Man had openly professed the Christian Faith had been admitted by Baptism was not only an Auditor but does Communicate in the Prayers of the Church yet they did not Account him compleatly a Christian till he did partake of the Lords Table And there is the same Reason for this still and perhaps greater Reason now then ever to urge it when the most weighty Duties are most neglected and People are so apt to set up their Rest far short of what our blessed Saviour hath made their Duties XI That this Communion is maintained by Communicating with that particular Christian Church being neither Heretical nor Schismatical wheâ—e every Christian lives seems to me out of doubt For if he do not Communicate there it is not possible he should actually Communicate any where else and therefore whatsoever Preparations of Mind may be pretended the wilful or careless neglect of this seems to Amount to no less then a Renunciation or Undervaluing of all Communion which strikes at the very Heart of the Christian Religion But yet for all this our Communion in that particular Church is Communion with the whole whereof that is a part by which we are United to the whole in which we express our Communion with the whole and by which we draw Supplies from the whole For our Communion in particular Churches Arises from the Necessity of our Natures and the Condition of Humane Beings which are not capable of Communicating with the whole altogether but only by parts And though particular Churches in respect of particular Christians and the Offices and Authority therein Exercised are truly called Churches yet in respect of the Catholick Church they are but Members whereby we are United to the whole and Communicate with the whole Both the Name and Benefit of Christianity comes to us from joyning in Communion with that Church which is Christs Body And that is the Catholick Church and it is to that we desire to be United and in that to Communicate by joyning with some true part of it which is all our Natures allow us to do and in Act can Compass But if any Man Unite himself to or joyn in Communion with any particular Church either in opposition to all others or without any relation or obligation to any other Church As to Catholick Communion he must suppose that particular Church to be that Body whereof Christ is the Head and Saviour or else he cannot Hope for Salvation in it and then unless he have the Impudence to affirm that there is no other true Church of God he must make Christ have more Bodies then one and in the immediate consequence overthrow an Article of our Creed which acknowledgeth but One Catholick Church Our Communion therefore though in a particular yet by means thereof is both in and with the Catholick Church And hence it is that the Members of particular Churches have an equal Right all the World over to Communion in all other Christian Churches And when they come to other Churches are then actually bound to Communicate with them Upon this Ground it was that the primitive Christians proceeded for though they did debarr Strangers from Communion till they did produce their Communicatory Letters or Credentials whereby it might appear that they lived in some particular Church of Catholick Communion that they might not be imposed upon by Hereticks and Schismaticks yet when the Church they came to was satisfied in that particular they
This much troubled the good Pope who by all Circumstances seems to have Set his Heart on this Work And he had the greater Reason for it because it was already half done to his Hands And therefore he gently Reproves these faint-hearted Souldiers but takes greater pains to encourage them And that they might want nothing to Fit them for the Work he Sends and Recommends them to Etherius Archbishop of Aâ—les who furnisheth them with Interpreters de Gente Francorum Bed Eccl. Hist lib. 1. cap. 24. 25. And now away they go for good and Land in the Isle of Thanet and perhaps there was no great difficulty in Converting King Ethelbert for it was now about 150 Years since the Coming in of the Saxons And though their Quarrel was with the Britons yet they could not in all that time but understand somewhat of the Christian Religion from them Besides Ethelberts Queen was a Christian and de Gente Francorum Regiâ as Beda phraseth it And it was Conditioned at her Marriage That She should have the free Use of her Religion And the Condition was duely kept for whereas the King had his Court in Canterbury the Queen had for her Use the then Ancient Church of St. Martin standing at the Towns-End and her Bishop Lindhaâ—dus who Officiated And any Body will suppose That both She and her Bishop would do all they could to Influence and perswade the King Furthâ—r Beda Eccl. Hist lib. 1. cap. 25. saith expressly though somewhat mincingly That Antea fama ad eum Christianae Religionis pervenerat And Gregory the Great in one of his Letters saith They were desirous of it And whosoever shall duely Consider the whole Behaviour of King Ethelbert will find in him no Aversion to the Christian Religion but that like a wise Prince he only took care so to manage the Matter that he might Receive it with the Satisfaction of his Subjects and draw them to it after him Well in a short time the King is Converted and Aâ—gustine becomes his Favourite And yet before this with the true Industry of a Monck he Lends the Honest Bishop Linhardus a Lift who had prepared Matters for him and by the Kings Favour gets Possession of St. Martins Church And here I know not well how to excuse Beda from Partiality For he saith as little as could be beâ—ore but henceforward not a word of the endeavors of the Queen or her Bishop nor a tittle of all the labor and pains of the French Intetpreters without whom this our English Apostle could have done nothing But Augustine like a true Son of the Roman Church goes away both with all the Honour and all the profit And now being grown too great for a Monck he makes a Journey to Arles and by the Arch-bishop of that place at the Motion of Pope Gregory is Ordained no less then Archiepiscopus Genti Anglorum Bed Eccl. Hist lib. 1. cap. 27. a pretty Fetch before New Converts understood themselves to secure the whole Authority of the Nation to a Roman Missionary and consequently to the Pope whoever should be afterwards at the pains to convert them However after his Return he seems to have Laboured in the business and after the Death of Pope Gregory which Beda Eccl. Hist lsb. 2. cap 1. Refers to the Year 605 he obtains a Conference with the Brittish Bishops with a design to get their Assistance in converting the Saxons and withal to Advance Himself by drawing them under his Jurisdiction But whether in Hatred to the Saxons their Mortal and indeed unjust Enemies or through offence at Augustines pride and taking too much upon him or in love to their old Customes which Augustine unseasonably would not allow the main Business miscarried and then first Arose the Paschal Controversie in Britain so that at first dash here Ariseth a Prescription of about 600 Yeares for the British Usage XI The Grounds whereon the Britons proceeded seem to be Chiefely these That they would not give up their Ancient Liberties and Customes nor depart from the Canons of the Church And here Beda shews himself little favourable to their Affaires as at other times he appears very ignorant in them for though he studiously Conceals Augustines Ambition yet the Britons Answers plainly discover it For their first Answer is this Non se posse absque suorum consensâ— ac Licentiâ Priscis abdicare Moribus And in the second Meeting or Synod their Answer is plainly this That they will not Receive Him for their Arch-bishop Bed Ecc. Hist lib. 2. cap. 2. But the Answer of the Abbot of Bangor shews the Reason why they neither could nor ought to do it and is so pat to the purpose that I shall set it down as Sir Henry Spelman hath Translated it from the Brittish Co. pag. 108. Be it known and without doubt unto you That we all are and every one of us Obedient and Subjects to the Church of God and to the Pope of Rome and to every godly Christian and to love every One in his degree in perfect Charity and to keep every One of them by word and dâ—ed to be the Children of God And other Obedience than this I do not know due 〈◊〉 Him whom you Name to be Pope nor to be the Father of Fathers to be Claimed and to be Demanded And this Obedience we are ready to give and to pay to him and to every Christian continually Besides we are under the Government of the Bishop of Kaerleon upon Uske who is to Oversee under God over us to Cause us to keep the Way Spiritual This Answer throughout savours the temper of the most early Primitive times and shews That the Afflictions of the Britons had kept their Churches from that Corruption and secular Pride which had then too much invaded Others And from it I will only observe three things First That with a tender Care to express their Communion with the Catholick Church and their duty to all Christians they own no other Obedience to the Bishop of Rome then as Christians they owe to any other Foreign Bishops and their Churches And so the Bishop of Rome owed as much to Them as they to Him Secondly That the Authority which Augustine demanded and the Power of any Foreign Bishop to place him over them was a thing utterly unknown and unheard of to them so little were they Acquainted with the Patriarchate which is now so Confidently Asserted Thirdly that they were so subject to the Arch-bishop of Caerleon That they did not think him subject to the Jurisdiction of any other particular Bishop whatsoever but that he was over them next under God And accordingly we never hear of any Appeals from him to any Superiour See But if any thing concerned them in Common or was too weighty for him it was Transacted Synodically And it is Observeable That though the Brittish Bishops and Clergy Flockt to this Synod with their main strength yet the Arch-bishop of Caerleon absented himself
Skill enough to Condemn others but not to know themselves and they can tell you what they are not but not what they are Now a purely Negative Religion at best is next to no Religion if it be any at all Now though this be not the fault of those Authors who are bound to follow their Adversaries Stepâ— but of those Men who will only Busie themselves in such Authors yet whâ—n my Method and Matter was wholly at my own Choice and in my own power I could not think my self excuseable if I should proceed only in a destructive way And therefore in reference to the Parts which are to follow I did propound to my self to state the Case between us in each particular to set down positively what we do Hold or can Allow And then to Enquire into the Reasons of the Controversie both pretended and real for that Method I take to be best which leaves Men not at a Loss for Right whilest it fortifies them against the Wrong When in the late great Ferment of the Nation Controversial Pieces flew so thick about this First Part was then ready for the Press but for a very Justifiable Reason then laid Aside Whether ever I shall be able to Finish the other Two Parts which must Consist of Particulars relating to the Doctrine and Government of the Church God only knows For in Order thereunto I must have Expended more Money then my mean Fortune will well bear to purchase some Books which I have not by Me But now by reason that I cannot Walk the same pace which so many Men do I fear I shall be Necessitated in a short time to Sell those â—ew Books I have to Buy my Children Bread And in such a Condition a Man can have little Stomack and less Opportunity or Leisure to Write Controversies However I think this may be sufficient amongst all sober Men to Vindicate Me from the Slanders of some Black Mouth'd Persons who Give a Reputation to the Roman Religion by Representing all us Papists or which we find by Experience is worse as Reputed Papists or Popishly affected who will not run into the same Excess of Riot with themselves I pray God give them more Grace and Sobriety then to proceed in such Courses and Me more Patience under such unjust Reproaches But my Comfort is this that my Share is inconsiderable in respect os my Great Master's or his true Follower St Paul who underwent the full Trial of all those things whereby he Teacheth us to Approve our Selves Ministers of God amongst which I think I have some peculiar Interest in these i. e. To have done it by honour and dishonour by evil report and good report as a deceiver and yet true 2 Cor. 6. 8. I never thought that Controversies were to be written for Controversies sake but rather what in us lay to put an End to them And I should not think my self unfortunate under all the Calumnies and Sufferings in the World if I could be in the least Instrumental to Advance the Sincerity of Religion and Promote the Peace of Gods Church But if I may not be Capable of Endeavouring it to any purpose I will never cease to pray for it And therein I doubt not to have the Concurrence of all good Men whatsoever otherwise may be their Perswasions And thus Protesting my Integrity before God and freely leaving my self to the Censure of all Men. I am Yours in all Christian Offices S. G. THE CONTENTS CHAP. I. Of Obligations to Unity among Christians 1. REasons of the Enquirie 2. Obligations from the Nature of the Christian Religion 3. From Christians Considered as a Body with Remarks thereon 4. An Objection Answered 5. From the Honour of the Christian Religion 6. From express Precepts of the Gospel 7. From the Rewards of Preserving and Punishments of the Breach of Vnity 8 From the Encouragements Helps and Succours to Attain it CHAP. II. Wherein this Unity Consists 1. Mistakes concerning Vnity and the Reason thereof 2. A Caveat against the Plea of extraordinary Cases 3. The first Step towards or the Foundation of this Vnity 4. That our Vnity must be suitable to our state what that is and that it must be in the visible Church 5. An Inference thence 6. In Respect of our State-Vnion with the invisible Catholick Church by Vnion with the visible Catholick Church and Vnion with the visible Catholick Church by Vnion with some true Part of it i. e. a particular Church 7. That Admission into all Societies is by some known Ceremony or sormal Way of Proceedings this in the Christian Society is Baptism Reflections on the Anabaptists 8. That Admission into a Sâ—ciety implies Submission to the Rules of the Society and an Obligation to the Duties thereof and to whom these have Regard in the Christian Society 9. Duties of particular Christians towards each other 10. Tbat Duties of particular Christians must be Practised in Conjunction with Duties Relating to Worship and Communion 11. Communion though of necessity it be in particular Churches yet thereby it is in and with the Catholick Church 12. Communion in Worship supposeth a Necessity of Communion with lawful Pastors which is further Proved by several Arguments and Instances 13. That the Pastors ought also to maintain Communion with each other and the Nature thereof or by what means it is maintained briesly Examined 14. An Objection Answered and what is the Duty of particular Persons in such Case declared CHAP. III. Of the Nature of Schism 1. What hath inclined Men to maintain ill Principles and particularly Schism 2. The General Notion of Schism 3. 4. 5. Several Separations which are not Schism 6 The distinguishing Note of Schism and an Inference thence 7. 8. 9. Several Ways whence Schism Ariseth 10. What Schism is sinful with a Definition thereof 11. The Authors Acknowledgment and the Assertion in Relation to the Controversie which he undertakes to prove and his Request CHAP. IV. Of the Liberties and Priviledges of the Britannick Churches and of the Actual Separation 1. Two General Objections against our whole Cause and a General Exception against both 2. The first Objection Consists of two Branches whereof the first at present put off the latter Proposed to be Examined 3. The Title of Patriarch at this time set up as a Sham Device 4. Granting a Patriarchate to the Pope it is denied to Extend to the Britannick Churches 5. How Patriarchates came in and that they possessed noâ— all Places 6. 7. The Bisbop of Rome not possessed of any such Jurisdiction in these Isles but after Patriarchates were set up 8. Britain a Church before Rome and Reasons of the different Observation of Easter both in them and other Churches 9. The Reasons of the Britons mistake as to Easter such as ought not to have made a Breach and that they were not Quartodecimani 10. Augustines Mission and Helps for the Work That the Kentish Saxons were before Prepared for Embracing the Gospel how He and the
Army should be Unanimous in it self or Employ its full force against the Enemy if the Commanders Agree not but give out contrary Orders Nor is it possible That the Unity of the Church should be preserved if the Pastors Govern their Flocks not in Conjunction but Opposition to each other and set up such termes of Communion as other Churches cannot approve but must withdraw from It is indeed true That every Bishop in his particular Church hath a kind of Sovereign Authority and is to Govern his Flock Rationem Actûs sui Domino rediturus as St. Cyprian more then once phraseth it Hence it is That in some things a Christian Man is bound to Observe the Orders of his own Church and obey his own Bishop before any if not all the Bishops in the Christian World But then this Authority must not be stretch'd beyond the Bounds of his own particular Church And hence arose those several different and often contrary Usages and Customes in several Churches which were not excepted against because they belonged to the Power of each particular Church and consisted in such things That he that Communicated after the one Manner in one Church might Lawfully Communicate after the contrary in another Of this Nature was that known different Usage of old between the Churches of Rome and Millan In the former they Fasted on Saturdays in the latter not And therefore St. Ambrose who was truly as stout a Bishop as ever the Church had though he strictly Required Obedience to the Orders of his own Church yet at Rome was as Observant of theirs and Advised St. Augustine's Mother Monica to do the same The Reason must be fetch'd from the Nature of the Things which being indifferent in themselves might be Lawfully practised either Way and therefore were in the Power of every Church to determine or not determine as She found most for her good and Advantage But when these Things are determined Obedience put on the Nature of Duty and Disobedience of Sin But though every Bishop in Respect of his particular Church or Flock hath according to the Old Ecclesiastical Language his Throne yet in Relation to the Catholick Church he is but a principal Member who in Conjunction with Others of the same Authority is to Share in care of the whole And therefore in Matters which have an Influence on Catholick Communion he is Accountable to his Colleagues or Fellow Bishops and for any Misdemeanour herein may by them be Suspended Deposed or Censured as they or a convenient part of them shall judge Meet for the preservation of the Churches Peace And in this Case the Bishops of other Churches did not only Exhort but Require both the subordinate Clergy and the People to Refuse Communion with their Bishop though in all other Cases the separating from the Communion of their Bishops and the Erecting another Altar or setting up a Conventicle against him was Accounted the peculiar Signature of Schism And the Reason is plain for though they could not hold Communion with the Church but by Maintaining Communion with their Bishop yet they did Communicate in that Church as a part of the whole And if he did break off from the whole or was Injurious to the whole if they should Adhere to him therein they must follow his Fate And therefore here they might desert him and cleave to some other sound part and joyn in Communion Approved by Orthodox Bishops The Reason of the Bishops absolute Power in one respect and his Subjection in another seems to be briefly Couched in that short Saying of St. Cyprian Episcopatus unus est cujus à singulis in solidum par̄s tenetur do un for though he held but part of that Episcopacy by which the whole Church Concordi multorum Episcoporum numerositate was Governed yet holding that Parte in solidum he had the full Episcopal Authority and was a Catholick Bishop and his Orders according to their Nature ought to be Heeded by all Bishops But then what he held in solidum being but Pars Episcopatûs unius he was Bound to Exercise his Office in Conjunction with them who were equal Sharers with him And herein was Answerable to his Fellow-Bishops sor any detriment or injury done by him to their Common Office and Common Charge Hence a Bishop was in some things Obnoxious even to the delebility and loss of his Character as Spalato hath proved against the fond device of the Schools lib. 2. cap. 4. and was bound at his peril not only to Preach the same Faith but to Walk and Act according to the Cannons of the Church And yet in other Things his Act was sufficient to Tye up all the Bishops in the Christian World Both which Things are an invincible Evidence of the Sense of Antiquity of their Participation of the same Office and of their Obligation to and dependance upon each other in the discharge of it Hence it was that when a Bishop was placed in any Vacant See though he was never so Canonically Ordained yet he was bound to send abroad his Circular Epistles to other Bishops to Signifie his due Admission to that great dignity and withal to give in a Summary of his Faith that they might Admit him to Catholick Communion and upon occasion might Communicate with him and Assist him in the just discharge of his place If he afterwards fell into Heresie or did any irregular Act he was Tryable by his Peers and might be Censured according to his demerits On the other Hand what wholesome Orders he made for the good of his own particular Church those who came from any other Church thither were bound to observe them And if he justly put any Person under the Sentence of Excommunication upon his Certifying thereof with the Cause all other Bishops and all other Churches were bound to take that Person for Excommunicate wherever he came and to Reject him from their Communion For in Cases of this Nature every Regular Act of Authority in one Church was Regarded as the Act of the whole Church And thus in all things particular Churches Acted in Relation to and Communion with the Catholick and Maintained their Unity Firm and Inviolable XIV My Design hath been to Write a Chapter not a Treatise of Christian Unity and therefore I may be excuseable if I have not Hit every thing though I perswade my self that had we these the rest would not be wanting But my fear is that my Accusation will rather Lye on the other Hand That I have Iaid the Platform of such a Unity as in all its parts is no where on Earth to be found And though the more is the pity yet possibly it is too true But then this Objection Amounts to no more though that God knows is too much then to shew the deplorable state of the Church and the woful degeneracy of Christians For the Religion we profess Requires such an Unity And de facto it has been had and practised in the
Church And till it be Restored I see little Hopes that Matters can be brought to Rights and that they are not they must Answer who are the true Cause If any enquire What particular Persons in this Case are to do I Answer that invincible Impediments may excuse à tanto but not à toto where we cannot do all we should yet we must do all we can But more particularly I think First That every Man ought to joyn in Communion with that Church wherein Gods Providence hath placed him if he cannot justly Charge the termes of its Communion with Sin Otherwise there will be no End of Separation and the â—reach will daily grow wider Secondly That our Judgements and Censures on those from whom we depart be moderated with Charity that we pick not Quarrels without a cause nor Represent them worse in Opinion or Practice then they are for this exasperates and alienates Mens Hrarts from Peace Some Persons have seemed to Me to have read their Adversaries Books with a Design to mistake them which alas is too easily done without giving our Minds to it Thirdly that in separate Communions Pâ—oposals might be made how far they can come up to each other that it may be known how far they do agree and that unquiet Spirits may not bear the Ignorant in Hand that they agree in nothing and then that the true Causes of the Difference may be sett down which would sett generous Spirits on Work to Remove these stumbling-Blocks and make up the Breaches At least it would give opportunity to all Considerate Persons to weigh the Matter to cast off real Scandals and to come nearer together as they saw cause Lastly That all Persons be desirous of true Christian Union and Communion that they heartily pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and to their power in their several Capacities endeavor it That we come short of this Unity is our Unhappiâ—ess and no Honour to our Religion But if any do not truly desiâ—e it I see not how they can be excused from Schism or somewhat worse fâ—r such seem to be insensible and regardless of the Honour of Gods Church the Glory of his Name the Peace Comfort and Encouragement of Christians one amongst another and the daily Advancement and Propagation of the Gospel of Christ From which kind of temper the Lord preserve every One who calls himself a Christian CHAP. III. Of the Nature of Schism I. OUR Religion is so Unchangeable That if an Angel from Heaven should come and teach any other then what we have already Received he ought to be Accursed And therefore the nearer we come to the first Settlement the surer we are to be in the Right But some Men so doat on their fond Devices and are so bewitched with the pleasure of Coyning New Notions that not content to delude themselves they labour all they can to perfwade others that every thing that is old is ugly and to be Abominated Thus that sweet Harmony of the primitive Christians whereby they preserved their Body Sound against the Malice of Hereticks and Schismaticks enjoyed free Communion in all Places and were no where destitute of Comfortable Support and Assistance whether Spiritual or Temporal this I say has either been imputed to the folly of the first Converts or the Tyranny of Hereticating Bishops But if there was any thing ill and of Mischievous consequence to Religion for this they became zealous Advocates were ready to tell us That the Devil is not so black as he is Painted and so palliate the Matter that at length they would draw it in to be useful Amongst Matters of this Nature nothing hath found more Patrons then Schism Some have shuffled it to and fro till they have lost it and some have Trick'd and Trimm'd and Sett it out for such a pretty harmless thing as would almost tempt One to be in love with it But being I have said enough in the first Chapter to prove Schism a Sin of a deep Dye I shall forbear to inveigh against it and Sett my Self rather to make a discovery of it that the Rock appearing we may be the better able to avoid it II Schism in its general Notion signifies any Rent Rupture Division Separation or Solution of Continuity But in an Ecclesiastical Sense as applied to the Church it denotes some Breach or Separation among the Members or parts of that Body growing so high as to cause Bandying into Parties and setting up distinct and opposite Communions or the like But because all Separation is not Schism and that which is is not always sinful therefore it may be convenient to enquire by what means Separations are made what Separation is Schism and what Schism is sinful III. Those Persons who are so far from any Communion in the Church that they never did or would receive and embrace the Gospel of Christ Jesus are really separated and excluded from his Body the Church But then in this they cannot properly be said to depart from it or make any Schism in it because they were never of it nor any way Related to it And therefore their Crime is not stiled Schism but Infidelity And the Persons Infidels or Heathens not Schismaticks IV. Some Persons have Professed the Faith and Lived in the Communion of the Church but through the powerful Instigations of the Devil the strong temptations of Worldly Advantages Sense of Torments dreadful Apprehensions of Danger or the like ill Motives have Renounced not only the Communion of the Church but the Faith of Christ But these are not properly Schismaticks for Schism doth import some Relation still to the Church though it suppose a disorderly behaviour in it and a Breach and Violation of its Peace and Unity But these are wholly gone off and their Crime is in it self of a higher Nature though many times not so Mischievous in its Effects And it is commonly called Apostacy and the Persons Apostates or in the Modern Language Renegado's V. There is a third Sort of Persons who profess the Faith and live in the Communion of the Church but through Pride Discontent Wantonness or the like Causes are not careful to Attend to sound Doctrine but fall into Errours and Entertain and devise Opinions prejudicial to the Gospel of Christ and the Salvation of Souls But if thâ—se Men keep their Opinions to themselves whatever damage they may bring to their own Souls they can make no Eâ—clesiastical Schism but iâ— they Broach or Propagate them then Schism is usualâ—y the Effect and Consequence of such doings but their Denomination iâ— from thâ—â—articularity of their Crime or obstinacy in their ill Opinions which is called Heresy and the Persons Hereticks VI. Now though Heresy is of that turbuâ—ent Nature that it seldom fails to produce Schism yet it may so â—e that Persons may be Sound in the Faith and yet through Pride Discontent Ambition or thâ— like ill Motives may violate that Unity and Conjunction which ought to be amongst